Cisterna of Basilica

The Basilica Cisterna, also known as "Sumergido Palace," is one of the many cisterns in Istanbul. The tanks are tanks that were built for the city to have water reserves in case of attack. Another (rather more attractive) name with the tank is "Sumergido Palace." The Basilica Cisterna was built in the time of Justinian I (527-565) to supply the Byzantine Palace. The site (to which it owes its name) was the underground of a basilica of which there is nothing left today. The aqueducts of Valente (still existing) and Adriano would be used to fill the tank. These aqueducts received water from the Belgrade Forests, about 20 kilometres from Constantinople. The Basilica Cisterna, also known as "Sumergido Palace," is one of the many cisterns in Istanbul. The Yerebatan tank (Yerebatan Sarnıcı, its Turkish name) has dimensions of 140 by 70 meters and is estimated to be able to store about 100,000 cubic meters of water. The Cisterna Basilica has 336 columns of 9 meters high. The styles of the columns are very varied, as they were reused from ancient structures and monuments. The tour is made by a few walkways that go above the water. These walkways were placed at the end of the 20th century, as the ride was previously made by boat. Among the 336 columns of the basilica are two that have as their base a head of Medusa, the mythological being that turned to stone everyone to whom he looked. There are various theories about what these great heads mean inside the tank, although the most accepted theory is that they were put there for practical purposes, to be used as the basis of the columns. The Cisterna Basilica is a tranquillity in the midst of the bustling Istanbul: its light, the background music and the freshness that emanates from the water make it an essential visit.

Phone:+90 212 512 15 70

Latitude:41.008384·Longitude:28.977878